SCOOBA – Northwest sophomore forward Tamarah Sykes fell just short of a double-double, posting 19 points and nine rebounds despite a 61-54 loss at East Mississippi on Monday evening.

Despite the loss, the Lady Rangers clinched a conference tournament spot thanks to Coahoma's loss to Holmes. Northwest (13-8, 5-5 MACJC North) currently sits at fourth place, two games ahead of Coahoma and one behind third place Holmes.

As one of three EMCC players to finish in double figures, Tye Metcalf got the Lady Lions going early with a layup and a three-pointer to put the home team up 5-0.

Northwest wouldn't stay behind long however, as Sykes began to catch fire for Northwest, scoring the first five Lady Ranger points to tie the game at 5-5 midway through the first quarter.

Although Northwest never took the lead in the first half, East Mississippi was never able to truly pull away as the Lady Lions never led by more than five. Sykes' seven points and three rebounds kept the Lady Rangers close with a 25-21 halftime deficit.

After falling victim to an 11-2 run to open the second half, the Lady Rangers began to claw their way back from a 13-point deficit late in the third quarter, as Morgan Hodum's three-pointer sparked a 7-0 run for Northwest that cut EMCC's lead down to 36-30.

Ja'Mia Hollings opened the fourth quarter with a made free throw to put the Lady Lions up by seven, which was met by a 7-0 run from the Lady Rangers to tie the contest at 37 apiece.

Tied at 39-39 with 7:46 to go, East Mississippi once again tried to pull away with an 8-2 run, only to have Sykes bring the Lady Rangers back within two, 47-45.

No matter how close Northwest would get though, the Lady Lions always seemed to have an answer from Metcalf or Taylor Lattimore. Both players made crucial shots for EMCC down the stretch to push the Lady Lions to a nine point advantage with a minute left to go.

Even with the deficit, Northwest continued to fight with a three-pointer from Claire Fleming and a layup from Sykes over the final minute of play, keeping the game close despite the loss.

Sykes' 19 points was her best offensive output since a career-high 22 point outing against ASU Mid-South on Jan. 27. The Aberdeen native's efforts also played a big role in the 34 bench points earned by Northwest on the evening.

Hodum and Kayla Freeman also provided nine and eight points respectively for the Lady Rangers.

Lattimore led EMCC with 21 points and finished 5-of-9 from beyond the arc. Metcalf also chipped in 16 points for the Lady Lions, along with a 13-point, 12-rebound double-double from Maddie Riley.

Northwest shot 36 percent from the floor in the loss, while EMCC shot 40 percent from three-point range.

Northwest will take its final regular season road trip on Thursday, Feb. 13 to Mississippi Delta. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. from Moorhead.